Comments on the race of life.

Don’t tickoff a tick – ever

Did you ever think ticks could be beautiful? Well, the Furlong dog has just had a tick (two actually). They were just like pearls!

But they gave a lot of trouble. One had lodged itself on a very tender area inside the ear so our dog would not let us get near him to remove it without turning on us and shrieking. It was upsetting for us all.

Eventually, we managed to get a few drops of tick control stuff – the kind you get in a tiny tube and squeeze onto the skin at the back of a dog’s neck. It was left over from an old batch we once used. And we never bothered to use it because there were no ticks in the place we lived in. Well, we never saw one in fifteen years.

But

we have moved. We have moved into an area full of ticks – evidently.

So

back to the tick removal story. Eventually, the “pearls” started shrivelling and turned black. Thus weakened, I could grab them and get them off, head and all.

We felt jubilant.

But

the bites became very angry and the dog was still in pain.

So

we travelled back to our old town to see the Vet.

Now THIS is the interesting part. WE DID THE WRONG THING. An angry, cross, defensive or irritated tick, squirts its stomach contents back into its host. So don’t tickoff a tick.

Quick removal, before it can think, is the best way.

These “Pearl” ticks are nasty buggers! Evidently, all the infections are in their stomachs, where they stay, unless they regurgitate them.